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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Despite the Solyndra collapse that has tarnished solar energy, the
industry has grown into
"a major economic force" with a job base that
expanded 6.8% the past year, nearly 10 times faster than the overall
economy, industry representatives told CNN earlier this week.

The solar business is now a $6 billion industry, up 300% from 2006,
said officials with the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with
solar energy industry.

Solar's success is no surprise in New Jersey

The encouraging environmental news won't come as a surprise to anyone living in New Jersey. It seems that almost every week brings the announcement of another significant-sized solar pane installation on the rooftop of a municipal building, school,
or at a commercial or industrial facility.

A good deal of that is due to state-stimulus programs which have made solar panel installations cost effective. And, once the system is up and running, energy savings
are often dramatic.

The solar industry is concerned, however, about maintaining its impressive growth in the Garden State, as the addition of solar energy capacity has eroded the value of the state's Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs).

Key members of the state legislature are moving on bills designed to bolster the program by increasing demand for the credits, encouraging longer-term financing, and facilitating greater participation by utility companies in solar projects.

Clouds form over Pennsylvania's solar industry

The alternative energy's prospects are less bullish in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Sunshine program, passed in 2008, provided $100 million
in solar rebates to homeowners and businesses to install such systems.
That led to a boom, but the program now has only a few millions dollars
left, and the state has no plans to renew it.

Karen Foltz, a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh-based Vox Energy Solutions,
said the current climate for solar businesses in the state is hardly
welcoming and she puts the blame on Republican Gov. Tom Corbett..

"He is so against renewable energy, it's a crime," Foltz said, adding
that she believes Corbett is "100% backed" by Marcellus Shale companies
who see solar energy as a competitor. Foltz also claimed that tax
credits for oil and gas exploration dwarf what's given to solar firms.

Nationwide, solar is looking bright. With 100,237 jobs as of August, solar employers expect their
workforce to grow 24% next year, according to the foundation's National
Solar Jobs Census 2011, completed in partnership with BW Research
Partnership's Green LMI Consulting division and Cornell University.

"It's great news," said Andrea Luecke, executive director of the
Solar Foundation. "Despite a struggling economy and the worst recession
since the Depression and despite the Solyndra debacle, the industry is
experiencing record-breaking trade numbers, record-breaking installed
capacity, and record-breaking private investment."

Governor tells BPU to develop mechanism for ratepayers to subsidize offshore wind, a task it was originally assigned seven years ago Tom...

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